Self-propelled security road barrier

ABSTRACT

Self-propelled security road barrier, suitable for being used to temporarily close the access to streets, squares or other pedestrian areas in order to prevent the passage of motor vehicles that are launched at high speed for terrorism purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIALS SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present patent application for industrial invention relates to a self-propelled security road barrier used to protect public places from the risk of terrorism attacks with motor vehicles launched at high speed.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98

Recently, terrorism attacks made with motor vehicles that run into the crowd at high speed have become more and more frequent, with the intention of making as many victims as possible. In view of these events, public authorities have attempted to protect public places by creating obstacles capable of preventing the free access of motor vehicles to pedestrian areas.

Given the limited experience of public authorities on this specific dangerous situation, the protection measures that have been applied so far have proved to be quite ineffective. In fact, in some cases, the access to a street or a square has been protected with simple concrete blocks or with big heavy flower boxes. Because of their dimensions and especially because of their weight, these objects create an effective security road barrier against heavy motor vehicles. However, the dimensions and the weight of these objects are a significant functional limitation because they are difficult to install and remove.

A problem is encountered when the access to a public place is closed by means of such an object, because said object cannot be rapidly and easily removed as necessary to permit the passage of an “ordinary” emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance or a fire brigade truck.

Also for this reason, an alternative solution has been used in other cases, in order to create a security road barrier that is capable of being rapidly removed from the installation place, if necessary.

Such a solution consists in closing the access to sensitive places by means of big trucks, especially building trucks loaded with crushed stone or other heavy inert materials. Alternatively, military means of transportation, such as light-armored cars or tanks, can be used.

Being very big, these trucks are capable of withstanding and reducing the shock of vehicles, including heavy ones, launched at high speed against them.

An advantage of this solution is the fact that these trucks can be moved easily, if necessary, to immediately free a point of access to a street or a square.

However, such a solution is impaired by the fact that the presence of big trucks in a town center or in a pedestrian area is unpleasant to see.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, by devising a self-propelled security road barrier that can resist violent shocks and can be autonomously moved easily and rapidly from the place where it is positioned.

Another purpose of the present invention is to disclose a security road barrier that can be easily moved and at the same time is aesthetically pleasant, in such a way as to improve the general appearance of the public place where it is to be installed.

These purposes are achieved according to the invention with the characteristics of the appended independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments appear from the dependent claims.

The security road barrier of the invention is defined by claim 1.

The advantages of the self-propelled security road barrier according to the invention are evident, wherein the provision of a self-propelled cart with ground sliding means allows moving the security road barrier in a simple, rapid way.

As a matter of fact, because of the provision of the self-propelled cart, the security road barrier can be moved from an urban location to another urban location, according to the place where the potential dangerous situations are generated, and can be rapidly removed from the place where it is positioned in order to free the passage.

Because of the provision of the covering mask, the security road barrier can look like an ordinary urban decoration item, thus avoiding arousing alarms or concerns for the population. Moreover, the covering mask can be made with different shape or size. For instance, the covering mask can be a container suitable for being filled with soil and flowers in order to act as a flower box.

Because of the provision of vertical lifting means, the covering mask can be raised or lowered from and into the self-propelled cart, in such a way as to conceal the self-propelled cart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

For the sake of clarity, the description of the invention continues with reference to the attached drawings, which have a merely illustrative, not limiting value, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded axonometric view of the main parts of the self-propelled security road barrier according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view that shows the security road barrier according to the invention, after assembling all its parts;

FIG. 3 is a side view that shows the security road barrier according to the invention when it is moved on the ground;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the security road barrier according to the invention in a static operating position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the covering mask of the security road barrier according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the security road barrier according to the invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded axonometric view of a first variant of the security road barrier according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is an axonometric view of a second variant of the security road barrier according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is an axonometric view of a self-propelled cart of the security road barrier of

FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the Figures, a self-propelled security road barrier according to the invention is described, which is generally indicated with reference numeral (B).

Now with reference to FIG. 1, the barrier (B) comprises:

-   -   a self-propelled cart (1),     -   a frame (2) mounted on the self-propelled cart (1), and     -   a covering mask (3) mounted on the frame (2).

The self-propelled cart (10) comprises:

-   -   a parallelepiped body (10), and     -   sliding means (11) laterally mounted on the body (10) and         suitable for sliding on the ground.

The sliding means (11) can be tracks or wheels, as shown in FIG. 7.

Said self-propelled cart (1) can be moved manually by means of pushing.

Advantageously, the following parts are disposed inside the body (10):

-   -   a motor (M1) to move the sliding means (11),     -   drive means (M2) to transmit the motion from the motor (M1) to         the sliding means (11), and     -   control means (M3) to control the actuation of the motor (M1)         and the steering of the sliding means (11).

The control means (M3) are connected to a receiver (Rx) mounted on the body. The receiver (Rx) is coupled with a remote control (T) in order to remotely control the control means (M3).

Two rear arms (12 a) protrude laterally from the rear of the body. Two front arms (12 b) protrude laterally from the front of the body. For example, the arms (12 a, 12 b) are metal sections with “H”-shaped cross-section, in such a way to have a good flexural strength and a good torsional strength.

The sliding means (11) are disposed between a rear arm (12 a) and a front arm (12 b).

The self-propelled cart (1) comprises lifting means (113) suitable for raising and lowering the frame (2).

Advantageously, the lifting means (113) comprise linear actuators (13) mounted on each arm (12 a, 12 b). Each linear actuator (13) is provided with a stem (13 a) with vertical axis that moves vertically. The linear actuator (13) can be a hydraulic or pneumatic jack that is powered by a hydraulic or pneumatic system disposed inside the body.

The hydraulic or pneumatic system may comprise one or more pumps (P) that are hydraulically or pneumatically connected to the jacks. Each pump (P) is connected to a corresponding jack by means of a delivery pipe (14 a) and a return pipe (14 b) for a circulation of the working fluid.

Alternatively, the linear actuator (13) can be an electrical jack or a worm screw or an articulated parallelogram.

The frame (2) has a parallelepiped shape. The frame (2) comprises four uprights (20) that are connected by side-members (21 a, 21 b) and crossbars (22 a, 22 b). The frame (2) comprises two lower side-members (21 a), two upper side-members (21 b), two lower crossbars (22 a) and two upper crossbars (22 b). The uprights (20), the side-embers (21 a, 21 b) and the crossbars (22 a, 22 b) are, for instance, metal sections with “H”-shaped cross-section in such a way to have a good flexural strength and a good torsional strength.

The upper side-members (21 b) are connected to the upper crossbars (22 b) by means of internally protruding angle irons (23) in such a way as to reinforce the connection of the upper side-members (21 b) to the upper crossbars (22 b).

The linear actuators (13) actuate on the frame (2) in order to raise and lower it. The stems (13 a) of the linear actuators are advantageously connected to the angle irons (23) as shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the stems (13 a) of the linear actuators are connected to the lower side-members (21 a) or to the lower crossbars (22 a) of the frame.

With reference also to FIG. 5, the covering mask (3) is advantageously shaped as a parallelepiped container comprising a recessed seat (30) with a bottom (31). In view of the above, the recessed seat (30) can be filled of material, such as soil, water or another inert material. If the recessed seat of the covering mask is filled with soil, plants or flowers can be planted in said soil.

The covering mask (3) has two longitudinal walls (3 a) and two transverse walls (3 b) with outwardly tapered shape, going from an upper border (3 c) to a lower border (3 d).

The cross-section of the longitudinal walls (3 a) is shaped as an overturned “U” in such a way to define spaces (32) suitable for receiving the upper side-members (21 b) of the frame. Similarly, the cross-section of the transverse walls (3 b) is shaped as an overturned “U” in such a way to define spaces (32) suitable for receiving the upper crossbars (22 b) of the frame. In view of the above, the covering mask (3) is supported by the frame.

The covering mask (3) can be made in one piece with molded plastic material.

The lower border (3 d) of the walls of the covering masks is disposed at a lower level than the bottom wall (31) of the recessed seat (30) of the container, in such a way that the bottom wall (31) is disposed above the body (10). The distance between the lower border (3 d) of the covering mask and the bottom (31) of the recessed seat is higher than the height of the self-propelled cart (1).

Although the figures show a frame (2) that is separated from the covering mask (3), the covering mask (3) can be made of a sufficiently rigid material, such as metal or concrete, and the frame (2) can be omitted. In such a case, the covering mask is directly disposed on the self-propelled cart (1) and is directly raised by the lifting means (113).

Alternatively, the frame (2) can be integral to and made in one piece with the covering mask (3).

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the frame can comprise two angle irons (23) disposed in intermediate position on the upper crossbars (22 b) of the frame (2). In such a case, the self-propelled cart (1) comprises a front shelf (12 c) that protrudes frontally from the body (10) of the self-propelled cart (1), and a rear shelf (12 d) that protrudes in the rear from the body (10) of the self-propelled cart (1).

The lifting means (113) comprise two linear actuators (13) that are supported on shelves (12 c, 12 d) of the self-propelled cart (1) and are provided with stems (13 a) connected in lower position to the angle irons (23). Optionally, a board (13 b) is fixed on each stem (13 a) and is horizontally disposed under the angle iron (23), in such a way as to uniformly distribute the thrust exerted by the linear actuator (13) on the angle iron (23). Therefore, the horizontal board (13 b) moves together with the stem (13 a) of the linear actuator.

Two columns are disposed on each shelf (12 b, 12 c) of the self-propelled cart (1), acting as support for the horizontal board (13 b) when the stem (13 a) of the linear actuator is in a retracted position.

Optionally, ballasts (Z) suitable for increasing the weight of the security road barrier (B) are disposed on the self-propelled cart (1).

Optionally, the covering mask (3) can be obtained with a plurality of panels (37) disposed vertically and connected to the frame (2).

With reference to FIG. 2, when the stems (13 a) of the linear actuators are raised in a maximum extension position, the frame (2) and the covering mask (3) assembly is mounted on the self-propelled cart (1).

Successively, as shown in FIG. 3, the stems (13 a) of the linear actuators are lowered to an intermediate position, wherein the lower border (3 d) of the covering mask is spaced from the ground and does not interfere with the ground. In such a situation, the security road barrier (B) can be moved by moving the sliding means (11).

As shown in FIG. 4, when the position of the security road barrier is reached, the stems of the linear actuators (13) are lowered until the lower border (3 d) of the covering mask touches the ground, completely covering the self-propelled cart (1). 

We claim:
 1. Security road barrier comprising: a self-propelled cart, and a covering mask mounted on the self-propelled cart; said self-propelled cart comprising: a body, sliding means laterally mounted on the body and suitable for sliding on the ground, and lifting means connected to said covering mask in such a way to raise and lower the covering mask.
 2. The security road barrier of claim 1, wherein said security road barrier also comprises a frame mounted on the self-propelled cart, and said covering mask is mounted on said frame.
 3. The security road barrier of claim 1, wherein the sliding means are tracks or wheels.
 4. The security road barrier of claim 1, wherein said self-propelled cart comprises: a motor to move the sliding means, drive means to transmit the motion from the motor to the sliding means, and control means to control the actuation of the motor and the steering of the sliding means.
 5. The security road barrier of claim 4, wherein said self-propelled cart comprises a receiver connected to the control means and coupled with a remote control to remotely control the control means.
 6. The security road barrier of claim 1,wherein said self-propelled cart comprises: two rear arms that protrude laterally from the rear of the body, and two front arms that protrude laterally from the front of the body; and wherein said lifting means comprise actuators disposed on said rear arms and said front arms.
 7. The security road barrier of claim 6, wherein said rear arms and said front arms are metal sections with “H”-shaped cross-section.
 8. The security road barrier of claim 6, wherein each linear actuator comprises a hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical jack or an articulated parallelogram or a female screw.
 9. The security road barrier of claim 8, wherein each linear actuator comprises a hydraulic or pneumatic jack and said self-propelled cart comprises a hydraulic or pneumatic system provided with pumps to actuate said hydraulic or pneumatic jacks.
 10. The security road barrier of claim 2, wherein said frame has a parallelepiped shape and comprises four uprights connected by side-members and crossbars.
 11. The security road barrier of claim 10, wherein said frame comprise two lower side-members, two upper side-members, two lower crossbars and two upper crossbars.
 12. The security road barrier of claim 10, wherein the uprights the side-members and the crossbars of the frame are metal sections with “H”-shaped cross-section.
 13. The security road barrier of claim 11, wherein the upper side-members are connected to the upper crossbars by means of internally-protruding angle irons.
 14. The security road barrier of claim 1, wherein the covering mask is shaped as a parallelepiped container comprising a recessed seat with a bottom.
 15. The security road barrier of claim 14, wherein the recessed seat of the covering mask is filled with material, such as soil, water or inert material.
 16. The security road barrier of claim 15, wherein the recessed seat of the covering mask is filled with soil, with plants and/or flowers.
 17. The security road barrier of claim 2, wherein the covering mask has two longitudinal walls and two transverse walls with overturned “U”-shaped cross-section, in such a way to define spaces suitable for receiving upper side-members and upper crossbars of said frame.
 18. The security road barrier of claim 17, wherein said longitudinal walls and transverse walls of the covering mask have an outwardly tapered shape, going from an upper border to a lower border.
 19. The security road barrier of claim 18, wherein the lower border of the walls of the covering mask is disposed at a lower level than a bottom wall of a recessed seat of the covering mask, in such a way that the bottom wall is disposed above the body of the self-propelled cart, and wherein the distance between the lower border of the covering mask and the bottom of the recessed seat is higher than the height of the self-propelled cart.
 20. The security road barrier of claim 1, wherein the covering mask is made in one piece with molded plastic material. 